Victor Wembanyama Joins Shaquille O’Neal on Yet Another Historic List, Solidifies ROTY Claim

Entering tonight’s contest, fans of the New York Knicks must’ve been certain that their team was going to grab a win against the San Antonio Spurs. However, that didn’t seem to be the case. Backed by a historic performance by Victor Wembanyama, the Texas side grabbed a huge 130-126 double-OT win.

Victor Wembanyama played the biggest role in the Spurs’ victory. The French phenom recorded 40 points, 20 rebounds, and 7 assists on 59.1% FG and 44.4% 3FG, per NBA.com. Apart from Wemby’s 40/20 performance resulting in a win, the rookie has also achieved an impressive feat, joining the elite company of Shaquille O’Neal.

The 7ft 4” big man becomes only the second rookie in the past 40 seasons to record a 40-point, 20-rebound outing. The first rookie to do so was Shaquille O’Neal on 16^th February 1993. During that same contest, the Orlando Magic suffered a loss, but the rookie finished the contest with 46 points, 21 rebounds, and 5 blocks, per Basketball Reference.

Amidst a historic campaign, a few days ago, Wemby joined Shaq in achieving yet another historic accomplishment. Recording 300 stocks (steals & blocks), the European prodigy became the first rookie to reach the milestone since O’Neal in 1993. While it may difficult for the youngster to break Shaq’s 286 blocks and 60 steals achievement, being on the same list as the Hall-Of-Famer in itself is a huge achievement that the youngster needs to be proud of.

Averaging 21 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 blocks, per NBA.com, Wemby will win the Rookie of the Month honor for March. At this point, Victor Wembanyama has locked himself up as the winner of the 2024 Rookie of the Year. Even though the Spurs have had a disappointing and forgettable campaign, the production that they received out of their star rookie has to be encouraging in terms of the future of the franchise.